Engine-starter.



F. E. FISHER. ENGINE STARTER;

APPLICATION FILED FEB.21,1913.

1,113,156. Patented 0036,191

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F. E. FISHER.

ENGINE STARTER,

APPLICATION FILED FEB.21,1913v Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

2 SHLETS-SHEET 9 rnnnx n. FISHER, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ENGINE-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed February 21, 1913. Serial No. 749,783.

Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county' of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Engine-Starters, and'declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings, which form a part of this spec' cation.

My invention relates to an improvement in a combined starting and lighting appara' tus for automobiles employing an intern combustion engine as the motive power for the vehicle. f 7

Among other objects the combination in a single relatively small unit of a motor for starting the engine and a generator to furnishcurrent for lighting the car, to recharge a storage battery to operate the motor, and for ignition purposes if desired.

The armature shaft of the'motor is connected through a train of gears and an automatic engaging and releasing clutch with the armature shaft of the generator,

- in turn permanently connected by suitable sprocket or other gearing with the crank shaft of an engine (not shown) the armature shaft of the generator when driven by the motor, serving only to actuatethe gearing carried by and connecting it with the crank shaft of the engine to start the latter. Coincident with the operation of the engine under its own power, the drivin connection between the armature shaft 0 the motor and the armature shaft of the generator is severed through the automatic operation of a clutch mechanism before referred to, and hereafter more fully eXplained,-while the generator when driven by the engine, furnishes current to rechar e the. battery to operate the motor and for lighting or ignition purposes as required.

Other features of the invention will be hereafter explained.

In the drawings accompanying this specification :Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section, of the combined starting motor and lighting generator outfit. .Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same with the end of the case removed and Tarts broken away, to disclose the driving ear connection 'between'the armature sha t of the moof the invention is I tor and the armature shaft of the generator.

Fig. 3 is a detail view inside-elevation ofthe train of gears shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4; 1s a face View partly in section, of the clutch gear and hub carried by the armature shaft of the lighting generator. Fig. 5 is a perspectwe View of the hub keyed to the shaft of the generator. Fig. 6-is a cross-sectional view through the gear shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 1s a diagrammatic view of the wiring system.

Referring now to the letters of reference placed upon the drawings: A indicates an inclosing frame suitably supported in the chassis of an automobile (not shown housing a starting motor B and a light ng and recharging generator N.

C is the commutator of the motor; D its armature; and E the armature shaft journaled in ball bearings F, F, carried by the frame, onthe end of which is secured a pinion G. The pinion G meshes with a gear H which may be constructed of fiber as indicated to reduce the noise incident to its operationthe gear being in turn secured to or made integral with a pinion I, mounted on the stub shaft J journaled in the frame. The pinion I meshes with a gear K floating on a hub L, keyed to the shaft M, of the lighting generator N.

M, M, are ball bearings for the shaft supported in the frame.

M denotes the armature generator and M its commutator.

L, L, L, is a ball clutch lodged in channels Ir, is, is, in the gear K and the co-acting grooves 1,; Z, Z, of the hub L. For convenaesS D of the lighting ience in drilling the channels in the gear K,

the gear isformed of two concentric rings kf, 1' keyed together as at is to form a s1ng.e unit.

0 is a sprocket or other gear'rnounted on the end of the generatorshaft M permanently in gear with the pinion 8 keyed to the crank shaft 9 of an internal combustion engine a portion of the casing of which is shown at 10 and therefore in operation whenever the engine is running.

Referring now tothe diagrammatic View indicating the electrical circuit, shown in Fig. 7 B is the motor, and N the generator. P is the series windings of the motor, Q, is the shunt windings of the generator and Q the series windings of the enerator;the series being connected in dierential to the flbet'ween the storage battery W and the mo- 5 the cbre of the'relay releasing the armature at 1 when the voltage fallsbelow six volts. Having indicated :the several parts by reference letters, the construction and operation of the apparatus will bereadily untor 'B elosedfbyforcing down a suitable spring actuated switch lever U forming a contact at V whereupon the armature of the mol5 tor-"immediate1y begins to rotate actuating the pinion G meshing with the gear H,in-

- tegralwith or secured to the pinion I. The

pinion I in turn drives the gear K which be- I mg automatically locked to the shaft M of the generator N-through the ball clutch L,

" drives the gear 0 on the end of the gen-' erator shaft thereb Iputting in motion the engine crank sha .(not shown) permanently geared thereto and thus starting the engine. 'It will now be obvious that when the crank shaft of the'engine operating under its own power, exceeds the speed of I the generator shaft driven by the motor, the

driv ng connection between the motor shaft 'and the generatorshaft will be released Y hrough the automatic operation of the ball clutch 'L', When the engine'begins to operate under its own power, the circuit between the battery and motor is broken by the operator releasing pressure on the spring actuated lever U thereby cutting off the supply of current to the motor and suspending its further operation until it is again desired to start the engine. When the 0' generator has reached an R. P. M. of about 2504119 lever of the relay; is closed at T whereupon the generator egins'to charge the storage battery supplying current to operate the motor, and for'lighting or ignition purposes. It is to be noted that when the motor B is operated b the closing of the switch U, the battery if is cut into the circuit of said motor. When the engine operates to drive the generator N current flows through the rela coil and energizes the .relay ma et, t us closing the circuit through the contact T. Prior to the-closing of this circuit, current will flow only through theshunt windin of the generator but a r this circuit is c osed current will flow both through the shunt winding of the generator and through the serles winding thereof. Thus the re ayacts to not only cut in the series winding but also to cut in the battery as above noted.

Having thus described my invention, what Tclaim is l 1. 'In'an' ap liance ofthe character de- 's cribed,in co'm ination with the crank shaft fof an internal combustion'engin'e; an elec- L derstood, -.-Tostart the engine the circuit trio generator, an armature shaft for said generator, means mounted upon said armature shaft adapted for permanent driving connection with the crank shaft-of the internal combustion engine, a motor, a train of gears driven by the motor adapted to actuate the armature shaft of the generator, a; clutch mechanism designed to establish a driving relation between the motor and the armature shaft of the generatorto start the engine and to disconnect said drivin relation upon the engine operating under its 4 own power.

2. In an appliance of the character de-' scribed, in combination with the crank shaft 30 of an internal combustion engine; a single unit comprising an electric generator, an armature shaft for said enerator, a gear carried by said armature s aft and. adapted for permanent driving connection with the crank shaft of the internal combustion engine, a motor, an armature shaft for said scribed, in'combination with the crank shaft of an internal combustion engine; an electric generator, an armature shaft for said generator, means mounted upon said armature shaft and adapted for permanent driving connection with the crank shaft of the internal combustion engine, an electric motor, an armature shaft for said motor, a train of gears connecting the armature shaft of the motor with the armature shaft of the generator, and an automatic engaging and releasing clutch mechanism cooperating therewith, whereby the motor may rotate the armature shaft of the generator and through it the crank shaft to start the engine, the driving connection between the 5 motor shaft and the armature shaft of the generator being disconnected automatically through the action of the clutch mechanism upon the engine operating under its own power and remaining disconnected until the 20 motor is'again operated to start the engine.

at. In an appliance of the character described, the combination with a crank shaft of an internal combustion engine, an electric generator, an armature shaft for said en- 1 erator, a gear upon said armature s aft adapted for permanent driving (onnection with thecrank shaft of the'in irnal combustion engine. an electric motor, an armature shaftfor said motor, a train of gears crating under its own power.

5.- In an appliance of the character described, in combination-with the crank shaft ofan internal combustion engine; a single inclosed unit comprising a case, an electric generator housed within the case, an arma-' tin-e shaft for said generator, a fgear upon said armature shaft and adapted or permanent driving connection with the crank shaft of the internal combustion'engine, an electric motor directly above the.generator within the case, an, armatureshaft for said tor, a train of gears driven b the motor adapted to rotate the armaturesliaft of the motor to start the engine, an automatically engaging and releasing ball clutch mechanism adapted toestablish a driving connection between the motor and generator shaft when said shaft is actuated by the motor, and to out 01f the motor connection with the enerator shaft when'the generator shaft is riven by the engine.

In testimony whereof, I signthis specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

, FRANK E. FISHER.

Witnesses: v

GRACE E. WYNKOOP, SAMUEL E. THOMAS. 

